On a good day, from the top of the ruins of Ek Balam, you can see El Castillo, the central temple of Chichen Itza rising above the trees in the distance. It’s just 50 kilometres away, across dense swathes of jungle, but compared to the restored and well-known temples...
Masbate is an island that will rarely feature on a list of the top destinations to visit in the Philippines, but that’s because few travellers from outside of the Filipino archipelago make it here. There are a lot of great Masbate tourist spots to check out though,...
Volcan de Fuego is spouting out smoke in the distance, as Axel, a local from Antigua Guatemala, tells me not to worry. “The last eruption was just last year”, he says cheerily. “We have a while to go before another!” Antigua is surrounded by volcanoes, and from where...
It was all yellow. The city, it was completely yellow. This was Izamel, a Spanish colonial town built on top of an ancient Mayan settlement that had been conquered and colonised in the 16th century by the Conquistadors on their way through the Yucatan, in what is now...
I’ve just spent the last two weeks exploring El Salvador, and I’m annoyed because I didn’t have enough time to even see a fraction of the country. In fact, I overstayed by an entire week too, and my Central America trip planning went right out of the chicken bus...
It’s been a long and bumpy ride from Mexico to Guatemala, the second country on my tour around Central America. From the mountains and guerilla strongholds of Chiapas State, I headed down south to the volcanic surroundings of Lake Atitlan, one of the most supreme...
When I enter the house of Sergio Castro in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, a young child is having his burns treated in the large, open-air courtyard by a man in a tattered, checked shirt and jeans, who has a white bandana wrapped over his head. The...
Ahh, Mexico. The promised land of tacos, cold corona and endlessly colourful towns and cities. I’ve been exploring southern Mexico for the past few weeks, enjoying the diversity, the colonial Spanish architecture and the indigenous traditions and history, and before I...
“When I first arrived in Donsol, the only way to get around was by Carabou!” Elmer Quizon, a whale shark interaction officer exclaimed with a laugh when I asked him if this small town on the southern coast of Luzon was benefiting from tourism. “Now, thanks to the...
Jomar is just 22 years old. He works full time at a resort guiding tours around the Caramoan Islands – his home in the Philippines – and anything else he’s asked to do by the hotel. He’s the eldest of 6 children, and he helps to support his siblings...
Along the Borders chronicles my multi-year journey along Britain's borders, boundaries and frontiers. Published by Penguin Random House, and available now!
